Titi didn't believe in romance during a storm.
She had learned long ago that feelings born in moments of crisis often felt deeper than they truly were. Adrenaline made affection feel like salvation. Desperation mistook kindness for something more. And trust? It was a currency people spent too quickly.
So when she saw Kenny leaning against the corridor wall that morning, coffee in one hand, sleeves rolled, and eyes soft with something she couldn't quite name, she reminded herself to breathe normally. To keep her head clear.
"Didn't sleep?" he asked.
Titi nodded, eyes scanning the distant garden. "Barely. Too many calls. Too much noise."
He handed her the spare cup. "Try this. I told the kitchen to add just a bit of cinnamon. You mentioned you liked that."
She accepted it, reluctantly, cautiously.
"Thanks," she said. "But you didn't need to remember."
Kenny smiled. "I did."
They stood in silence for a while, sipping quietly, the soft morning mist curling around the edges of the building. In the far corner, a gardener clipped hibiscus leaves, unconcerned with the world's latest scandal.
Titi finally broke the stillness.
"Why are you being kind to me, Kenny? Really?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he turned to face her, folding his arms. "Because you stayed. Because you could've walked away and let the rest of us clean up the mess. And you didn't."
"I didn't stay for you," she said carefully.
"I know."
Their eyes held for a beat longer than necessary. Not flirtation—recognition.
The Weight Between ThemLater that afternoon, Mama was resting after physical therapy. The estate was unusually quiet, as though even the walls had paused to catch their breath.
Titi found herself in the small reading room at the end of the west wing, organizing patient journals, when Kenny walked in again.
"I keep running into you," he said with a crooked smile.
"You know where to find me," she replied, not looking up.
He stepped closer, his tone shifting.
"Titi… do you trust me?"
She froze.
Trust was a dangerous question.
Titi looked up, her eyes steady. "I don't trust people easily. Not in this house. Not in this… process."
Kenny nodded, as if he already knew. "That's fair. But can I ask you something else?"
She raised a brow.
"Do you want to?"
Titi didn't answer right away. Because somewhere under all her exhaustion, there was a truth she hadn't admitted not even to herself.
She did want to trust him.
Not because of the way he looked at her. Not because he was the Governor's son. But because there was something about his silence his restraint that made her feel seen without being exposed.
"I don't know yet," she said. "But I haven't ruled it out."
A Conversation in the GardenThe evening sun painted the estate in gold.
They walked slowly beside the koi pond, Titi's hands tucked into her sweater, Kenny trailing just beside her, never too close.
"I used to think politics was about power," he said, eyes on the water. "Now I think it's just about pain management. Who gets to hide theirs better."
Titi glanced at him. "And who do you hide yours from?"
He chuckled bitterly. "Everyone. Including myself."
She stopped walking. "That's not sustainable."
"I know. But it's inherited. My father only shows emotion in private, and even then, only when he's sure no one's watching. Mama's the same."
Titi exhaled. "You didn't have a chance, did you?"
He looked at her then really looked.
And it hit her: this wasn't a game to him anymore either. He was unraveling too.
"Do you hide your pain, Titi?"
She smiled sadly. "I don't have the luxury to. In my line of work, you either process it or it eats you alive."
Kenny moved a fraction closer. "Then maybe you're stronger than all of us."
Titi looked away before the heat in her cheeks betrayed her.
A Touch Too SoonAs they reached the patio stairs, Kenny paused.
"Titi, I want to ask something, and you don't have to answer if it's too much."
She nodded.
"Would you ever… consider staying here? After all this?"
Titi laughed softly, but it was more tired than amused. "What do you mean? Stay and do what be your mother's nurse forever?"
"No. I mean… be a part of what's next. For this house. For us."
He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth.
Titi tensed, stepping back. "Don't confuse connection with circumstance, Kenny. Emotions feel louder when everything else is falling apart."
He winced. "You're right. I didn't mean to pressure"
"I know," she said, her voice gentler now. "But if you want this to mean something, let it breathe. Let it become real, outside the shadow of all this."
There was silence again.
But this time, it wasn't awkward. It was full of possibility.
Mama's Window ViewFrom her upstairs room, Mama Iroko sat in her chair, watching them through the open window.
She smiled faintly.
"Foolish boy," she murmured. "Falling without knowing where he'll land."
But there was no judgment in her voice. Only quiet approval.
A Note Slipped Under the DoorThat night, after Titi returned to her room, she found a folded note beneath her door.
It was handwritten, the ink slightly smudged.
Titi—
I'm not asking for answers tonight.
Just asking if you'll keep walking with me—
one careful step at a time.
—K
She stared at it for a long time before folding it again and placing it under her pillow.
No reply. Not yet.
But she didn't throw it away.